Chapter 14 – cat
CAT
“Finally showed up, huh?”
Four men in suits are waiting for us in the CHG conference room. All their ties are wide, red, and a little too bright to go well with their expensive suits. They look right at home in the dull gray conference room with its matching view of the gray, cloudy city.
“There’s coffee in the carafe if it’s not too cold already,” one man says.
“I was hoping to get in a round of golf later, but you seem to be running on your own schedule,” says another.
I can feel my face getting red. It’s true, traffic was just as bad in NYC as they say it is—we’re half an hour later than we were meant to be. But Nate doesn’t even flinch at their comments.
“Gentleman.” He extends his hand to the tallest one of them. “I didn’t realize golf was more important than this merger.”
He really just said that?
“I’m Kyle Ambrose,” the one he’s shaking hands with says, clearing his throat with an uncomfortable laugh. “The president here at CHG. This is Greg, Jaime, and Chris. And you must be…Nate the Late.”
“Hm,” Nate grunts, clearly unimpressed, back to his usual cold, detached, grump demeanor.
The other men chuckle like he’s said something clever. Nate looks as unbothered as ever, straightening his cuff links without acknowledging the jab.
A few leering gazes shift to me, and I shift on my feet, straightening up, trying to my best to look professional and poised.
“This is Miss Daniels, my assistant.”
He gently touches my arm. It’s reassurance I didn’t know I needed—that whatever tasteless jokes these guys make, we’re a team. It’s us against them.
“Right, I remember your name from the emails,” Chris says. “For some reason, I didn’t picture you so young.”
“Or that you looked like that,” Kyle adds. “Didn’t know you liked to hire eye candy, Walsh. Bringing her almost makes up for you being late.”
That’s three times he’s taunted us about being late. I can’t just let them pummel Nate when it has nothing to do with him. “I’m so sorry about our late arrival. It’s my fault. I’m new, and I made a mistake with the address.”
Kyle chuckles. “Ah-boot, eh?” he says in an exaggerated Canadian accent. “Look at this girl apologizing. I love how eager to please Canadian girls are.”
Ew. The way he’s leering at me puts a bad taste in my mouth. If he were anyone else, I’d have told him to let off. But I’m here representing Nate’s company. I need to stay professional. This is boardroom not a bar.
“I’ll get us some coffee,” I tell Nate.
He doesn’t even look at me. His shoulders are rigid, his expression flat. I can practically feel the ice radiating off him.
Wait, is he pissed at me?
Maybe he thought I was encouraging Kyle’s attention somehow? I glance down at my dress. Should I have worn a suit instead? Would that have been more professional? Or maybe he really is mad that I made us late, now that the CHG execs have made it clear how much it annoyed them.
Whatever it is, I’m not going to solve it by standing here gaping at him. I head over to the table they have set up in the corner. Hopefully, some caffeine will put Nate in a better mood.
Of course, the coffee is steaming hot when I pour two mugs from the insulated carafe. My mind quiets somewhat as I automatically go through the process of pouring and stirring cream and sugar into my own mug. Unsurprisingly, Prince Frowning takes his black.
There’s also a tray of gorgeous pastries. Thank god—an almond croissant is just what the doctor ordered. I skipped breakfast in my hurry to get out the door this morning, and I only nibbled on an energy bar on the plane. My empty stomach probably contributed to my panic attack.
I cringe inwardly. I hate that that happened in front of Nate, when I was trying to show him how professional I can be.
I haven’t had a full-on attack like that in years.
They started back when I was seventeen, with all the stuff with Dad.
I’ve gotten better at dealing with them, but I guess the excitement of my first plane ride mixed badly with my nerves about the trip, it’s like all the grounding techniques I learned just flew out of my head.
I just needed this trip to go well, especially after seeing how much Nate’s funding impacted the shelter.
He’ll probably never know how much his donations impacted the residents.
Knowing they’ll have a clean, safe place to stay, to shower and wash their clothes, to get a good meal—you don’t realize how dehumanizing it is not to have that stuff until it’s gone.
Nate and I never talked about what would happen if he fired me. We agreed that he’d fund the shelter as long as I accepted rides home from his driver. But what if there wasn’t a job to drive me home from? If something I do messes up the CHG deal, does that put the whole shelter in danger?
I take a long deep breath. Now’s not the time to start worrying. I might have made us late to the meeting, but I’m going to make damn sure that’s the end of any issues on my end.
I’m debating whether Nate would prefer a cinnamon bun or a good-old-fashioned blueberry muffin when I catch a whiff of overpowering musky cologne.
“I was just looking for something sweet, myself,” Kyle says. He stands next to me, way closer than he has to. “My assistant ordered these from Le Bergamot. Have you been there?”
“No. It’s my first time in New York.” My waitress instincts kick in and I find myself smiling and making eye contact with the jerk. I can practically hear Pippa chastising me.
You don’t have to be nice to him! He’s not tipping you!
Kyle grins at me, exposing his expensive, over-white veneers. “Your first time, huh? We better make this a good trip, then. I know some great places if you want to explore. Maybe a private club?”
I blink at him, trying to come up with a way to politely turn him down. Well, when in doubt, blame the boss. “I think Nate will be keeping me pretty busy.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand. It’s a pretty big contract we’re signing today.” Kyle puts his hand on my waist, and every muscle in my body tenses. “It’s important to invest in our working relationship.”
My waitress smile freezes in place. How the hell do I defuse this? I try taking a step back, but Kyle uses me moving as an opportunity to slide his hand down to my hip.
“Remove your hand from my assistant,” Nate says. His voice arctic cold.
I practically jump away from Kyle, abandoning the coffees on the table. I know how this must look. So much for being a professional assistant. I can feel my face turning red with shame. Kyle, on the other hand, smirks unabashedly.
“Just being friendly,” he says. “You’ve got a nice girl here. Such a pretty smile.”
“You think so?” Nate’s entire aura turns frigid, dangerous like black ice on the highway. “Because I invoice by the smile, Kyle, and you can’t afford hers.”
Kyle’s brows draw together.
“While Miss Daniels might be too nice to tell you when you’re being a fucking pig, I’m certainly not.”
Warmth fills my chest. Nate isn’t pissed at me. He’s protecting me.
Nate puts a reassuring hand on my lower back and guides me back to the door.
“Are you alright?” he whispers.
I swallow. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you for…just—thank you.”
He nods and extends a hand to take my documents folder from me. “I’ll take the contract. You won’t be needed in the meeting. Just wait for me outside.”
The second I’m out the door, he swings it shut behind me. I’m left alone in the foyer with the ugly corporate art hanging on the walls. I sink into a leather armchair. Muffled voices seep through the door, but I can’t make out the words or even the tone.
I bring my hand to cover my thudding heart. I still can’t believe Nate defended me like that when there’s a multi-million-dollar deal on the line. He did more than just defend me—he called the guy a fucking pig! The only person I can ever remember standing up for me like that is Pippa.
Of course, that inner warmth is smothered by guilt. If Nate had hired a different assistant, someone sophisticated and experienced enough to smooth over things with Kyle, he wouldn’t have argued with them in the first place.
A muffled voice rises from behind the conference room door. Have they started yelling? Fuck, did I ruin the merger?
No, it’s fine. It’s all going to be fine.
Nate can handle it.
Breathe, Cat. We need to breathe.
If I’ve learned anything from watching him this week, it’s that Nate is ruthless and brilliant when it comes to negotiations. If he wants this merger to happen, he’ll make it happen—and on his terms.
I have to believe that.
I can still feel the warmth of his hand on my thigh from when he calmed me down in the car. That touch settled me just as much as the deep breaths he coached me through—grounded me. Made all the worry and guilt and anxiety tornadoing through my brain not stop, but pause.
Good girl.
Nobody’s ever called me that before. I liked it…too much.
What would it be like to have someone so strong, so effortlessly commanding, all for myself? If I could call on Nate when something went wrong, have him focus fully on me like he did in the car, and calm me down enough so I could handle the problem myself.
I can hear Pippa’s warnings echoing in my head. How Nate will use me, discard me, and forget me.
The thing is, I’m not sure she’s right.
The Nate I’ve started to know is anything but careless. He’s grumpy, sure, and he could definitely lighten up. But he’s honest, hardworking, and decent.
My fingers tug at the hem of my skirt, and I realize I’ve been worrying the fabric there. I was so deep in thought, I have no idea how long I’ve been sitting out here, waiting.
The door slams open and Nate strides out, the contract in his hand.
“We’re done here,” he tells me, rushing toward the elevator without stopping.
When I peek back through the office doors, the men in the red ties are all yelling at each other. Kyle’s face is practically maroon with fury.
What happened there?
I push to my feet, hurrying to catch up with Nate. “Where are we going?”
“The hotel.”
He presses the down elevator button while I fire off a text to the driver, asking him to meet us outside.
I don’t think either of us wants to spend a minute longer here than we have to.